The sun rose over the Starfall Plains, emerging from the east.
Morning light spilled into the room, falling upon Pei Shuyi’s eyelids. Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Her entire body ached and felt sore, as if it were about to fall apart. Something heavy pressed against her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
In her dazed state, Pei Shuyi remembered that last night was her wedding night, and that man had exhausted her to the point of fainting.
Just as her consciousness returned, he happened to wake as well.
Xie Linheng’s forehead rested against a soft spot.
With a slight movement, he heard a sharp intake of breath and realized where he had buried his head.
Pei Shuyi weakly lifted her eyes, only to meet a pair of cold, snow-like eyes.
He had just emerged from the snowy peaks, not yet fully awake.
His sharply defined arms braced on either side of her, his powerful back exuding a sense of immense strength.
The moment their eyes met,
Pei Shuyi let out a sharp, piercing scream.
“Brother-in-law, why are you here?!”
Xie Linheng lowered his gaze, seeing her flushed face, his tone slightly unsteady.
“Pei San…”
Both of them were completely unclothed, covered only by the Golden Thread Peony Silk Quilt.
Their cascading black hair intertwined and tangled.
The bed and the floor were in utter disarray,
revealing what had happened the night before.
Pei Shuyi couldn’t believe that she had shared an intimate night with her brother-in-law on her wedding night.
“Ah!” the girl cried out hoarsely, “Get off me, get out!”
Xie Linheng was caught off guard.
Pei Shuyi mustered her remaining strength, pushed him off, and quickly covered her head with the quilt.
Even Xie Linheng, who was usually calm and composed, felt his composure crack at this moment.
He forced himself to remain steady as he put on his outer robe, then looked at the girl wrapped up like a cocoon on the bed.
“No matter what, you should go bathe first.”
Pei Shuyi’s voice came through the quilt, filled with anger.
“Get out!”
Xie Linheng was at a loss in this situation, but his cleanliness obsession was severe. He turned and strode toward the bathroom.
Hearing the door close,
Pei Shuyi anxiously removed the quilt, her eyes sweeping over the scattered clothes.
She glanced at the distant red bridal veil.
Her legs weak and sore, she trembled as she got off the bed and walked to the veil. Suppressing her discomfort, she picked it up to examine it.
Embroidered with phoenix patterns, it was the veil her mother had prepared for her sister.
So,
when they took shelter from the rain in the broken temple, they had taken the wrong veils.
As a result, she had entered the wrong bridal sedan and the wrong wedding chamber.
After bathing, Xie Linheng stepped out of the bathroom.
His half-dry hair cascaded down his back, and the moisture on his body slowly condensed in the chilly spring air.
He commanded sharply, “Someone!”
Zhou Jing hurried over.
Xie Linheng spoke quickly.
“If Pei Shuyi is at Yunheju, then Pei Muyin must be at Ruyi Pavilion.”
“First, send someone to Ruyi Pavilion to inform Second Brother and Pei Muyin about the mix-up with the brides.”
“Then, take my card and invite the elders of the Pei Family over.”
“Yes!” Zhou Jing replied.
When Xie Linheng re-entered the room, he immediately saw Pei Shuyi lying on her back.
Her exposed skin was covered in ambiguous marks, her eyes tinged with crimson, and her long, snow-white neck was covered in kiss marks.
He walked to the bedside, hesitated for a moment, and said,
“I’ve already had the servants prepare water. Would you like to bathe first?”
Pei Shuyi bit her lip and tried to lift her arm, but even a slight bend made her gasp in pain.
“I won’t go!”
Xie Linheng could see that Pei Shuyi lacked the strength to go to the bathroom. He tucked her arm under the quilt, picked her up, and carried her into the bathroom.
Steam filled the air.
In the bathtub, the girl’s figure was blurred.
“On our way to Yingguo Duke’s Mansion, it started to rain, so the two sedan chairs took shelter in a dilapidated temple for a while.”
“When we were leaving, my elder sister and I accidentally swapped our bridal veils, which led to entering the wrong wedding chamber.”
Xie Linheng stared at the sandalwood seat screen, his brow furrowing slightly deeper upon hearing this.
“I understand.”
Pei Shuyi’s face flushed bright red, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, her voice trembling inexplicably:
“My elder sister was taken to Ruyi Pavilion, what should we do?”
“She was supposed to marry you, but I took her wedding night…”
In such a situation, the only way to preserve one’s honor was to die.
But Pei Shuyi was afraid of pain and death, so she could only lower her head, her eyes brimming with heat, like a kitten that had done something wrong.
Xie Linheng glanced at the ripples spreading in the warm water, his voice cool: “Grandmother also sent medicine to Ruyi Pavilion.”
Pei Shuyi was stunned: “What medicine?”
Xie Linheng chuckled softly, his gaze sliding over her neck.
Pei Shuyi understood: “You mean, my elder sister and your brother have also consummated their marriage.”
“Then what should we do? Isn’t Xie Chiyu my husband?”
Xie Linheng’s expression remained impassive.
With a cold face, his thumb brushed over the slight rise of her chest, crushing a droplet of water, then moved downward.
“You needn’t dwell on this matter. Since I have consummated the marriage with you, I will handle it properly.”
“The priority now is to clean you up.”
Pei Shuyi grabbed his wrist, both ashamed and angry: “You… don’t touch there!”
“Helping you expel it.” Xie Linheng easily broke her grip and laughed softly. “If I don’t touch it, how long do you plan to keep it in?”
Pei Shuyi remained still.
She truly wished she could just dash her head against something and die.